Dragon's Kiss
by Princess Seki
Summary: Kurama has realized his true feelings for Hiei at last! But Hiei's inability to control his powers causes problems for them early on. Will love triumph? Or are the two lovers doomed to separation? KxH
1. Chapter 1

Ok, this is my attempt to fuse some humor in with some romance and maybe a bit of angst too... I don't know about that yet, but I'll see what I can do. Anywho, this story is a Hiei x Kurama fic about a cute little relationship between them that got off to a bit of a rocky start. You'll see what I mean. This actually started out as a oneshot, but I don't think it fits that format anymore. Let me know if you do, but as of now I intend to add more chapters to it later. Ok, on to the warnings... This fic involves a gay relationship. If that bothers you, leave now. This fic may contain some sort of explicit sex scene at some point. I will warn you before it comes, and if it does, I expect anyone under the legal age in their area to leave the page immediately. I mean it. This fic WILL contain strong language. If that offends you, well, you probably just shouldn't be reading anything of mine. Ok, I think that's about it for this one. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters from it. Kira is mine, though, and I would appreciate it if you asked for permission before using her (not that anyone would particularly WANT to ;P)

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Dragon's Kiss

"You know what? I'm done with this!"

"Kira, stop yelling! I didn't even do anything!" Kurama was wringing his hands, trying to calm his psychotic girlfriend down as she stormed around the kitchen angrily. Exactly what had upset her so early this morning he didn't know, but he was getting more than a little tired of taking her crap. And lately… his attraction to her was fading. Or had it ever really been there? Kurama didn't know, but her constant complaining and yelling was certainly a turn-off if he had ever been turned on to her in the first place.

"Helloo! Fox-boy! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!" Kurama jerked back to reality, his eyes snapping to the enraged girl standing in front of him, her hands planted on her hips. "Yes, hi, welcome back to reality! I asked for breakfast in bed!"

"I made breakfast; your favorite, pancakes and eggs." Kurama glanced over his shoulder at the perfectly laid table, laden with delicious food that he had gotten up early to cook. This only seemed to anger Kira further.

"Do I LOOK like I'm in bed to you? WELL?!" Kurama opened his mouth to respond, but Kira gave him no chance. "Forget it! You're a bad boyfriend, you know that? A BAD BOYFRIEND!!"

"Kira, be reasonable! You are not the only person living in this house!"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about your precious fucking TEAM! Honestly, Kurama, who lives in a house with three other guys and their girlfriends? And why the hell do you need to LIVE with your team? I really don't think there's imminent danger! You said we were moving out!" Kurama gaped at her.

"I said no such thing! You said you wanted to move out and I told you why we couldn't!"

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT! I told you I wanted to move out, so we should have moved out! Don't you care about me?"

"Yes, I-" But he was cut off by Hiei's loud arrival from outside. The little demon's eyes flicked back and forth between the quarreling couple, then he turned and addressed Kurama.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times; dump the bitch and find someone new. This one's not worth the hassle." He shot Kira a glare out of the corner of his eye; the two of them did NOT get along well.

"Screw you, shortstuff! Maybe you and fox-boy here should just get a room together, since you seem to know what's best for him anyway! You've trained him to listen to everything you say!"

"Kira, you're out of line! There is no call to talk to him that way, you've held a grudge against Hiei since the day you met him!" Kurama was frowning, his arms folded.

"Talk to _him_ that way?! Why are you defending him? Defend me, what kind of boyfriend are you?!"

"I defend him because he's saved my life more than a few times and he doesn't YELL at me on a daily basis! I defend him because he's been my best friend for longer than I've even known you, and I have far more love for him than I've ever had for you!" Kira was staring at him blankly, shocked, so he continued. "And you know what? If I'm such a bad boyfriend for you, surely you won't miss me! I'm done, we're through." And, turning on his heel, Kurama marched out of the kitchen and away up the stairs.

Kira and Hiei were left in the kitchen alone, glaring at one another. Angrily, Kira began a tirade on the only other person in the room.

"This is all YOUR fault! If you weren't demanding so much of his attention all the time and keeping him away from me, our relationship could have WORKED!" But Hiei could take no more.

"No, bitch, it wouldn't have worked! You know why? Because you're trash and Kurama is the best! You took that boy for granted and abused the hell out of your relationship with him! If you had treated him right, he could have treated you like a queen! But you don't understand the give and take of a relationship, so you've lost the best guy you could have ever gotten!" Kira glared at him.

"What the hell do you know anyway?! You've never even HAD a girlfriend! You're probably fucking gay anyway!" Hiei bristled.

"Watch your mouth, bitch; you're not his girlfriend anymore! Keep talking like that and see what happens!" Kira didn't seem to know what to say. With a huff, she stomped out of the kitchen; Hiei heard a door slam a few minutes later and knew that she was gone. Now to see about Kurama… the man was so sensitive, he would be broken up about this break-up even if it was in his best interest.

Climbing the stairs slowly, Hiei poked his head into Kurama's room. The red-head was standing by his window, staring out wistfully. Was he… crying? Hiei sighed, walking into the room and closing the door behind him.

"Kurama… Don't do this, she's not worth it." Kurama turned, his face set in a frown even as he wiped the tears from his cheeks.

"You're right, she's NOT worth it. I don't know what I ever saw in her. I never actually loved her. It's always been someone else…" he trailed off, not meeting Hiei's eyes. Silence fell between them for a full minute before Hiei murmured quietly.

"Did you mean what you said down there?" Kurama looked up from his study of the carpet at his feet.

"Which part?"

"The part where you said…"

"That I loved you?" Emerald eyes locked with ruby and the two demons simply stood, locked in the moment. "Yes." Kurama's heart was hammering in his chest. He had never told anyone about his secret attraction to Hiei; he barely even admitted it to himself. For one long, awkward moment, Hiei said and did nothing. Then, slowly, he moved forward, wrapping his arms around Kurama's slender frame. Passion surged within him as he pulled him down for a dominant kiss. But the moment their lips touched, Kurama yelped and pulled away. Alarmed and perplexed, Hiei looked up at him.

"I-I thought this was what you wanted…" Kurama nodded, a hand clapped firmly over his mouth. He seemed unable to speak. "Kurama…?" The other man said nothing, turning away with his hand still clamped firmly over his mouth. Growing still more alarmed, Hiei forcefully spun the other boy back to face him and pried the offending hand away from his face. What lay beneath turned his stomach.

Kurama's lips were raw and red where Hiei's had touched them, blistering before his very eyes. Unshed tears were sparkling in Kurama's eyes; the Youko would not cry, but the human was not as adept at ignoring pain.

"Kurama, my God, your mouth! Did _I_ do this to you?!" Kurama shook his head, speaking for the first time through his ruined lips.

"It was an accident; I should have considered this before we kissed." His words were slightly slurred, as though he had a mouthful of something. "Your energy flares when you become aroused; you burned me unintentionally through your excitement."

"I hurt you! I _hurt_ you, Kurama!" Hiei was nearly panicked, highly embarrassed, and, honestly, a bit frightened. He had done that to his best friend unintentionally? He had NEVER lost control of his powers like that before! Never! Flushed with embarrassment, Hiei turned from his blistered partner and made himself useful looking for the aloe. It was the best thing he knew for burns, although it was not supposed to be ingested. Maybe it wasn't wise to put it on Kurama's lips… he turned when he heard a sharp snap from behind him. Kurama was breaking a blue stalk of some sort into pieces and squeezing a thick blue gel from the inside of them.

"Frostweed," he explained, noticing Hiei's blank stare. He was calm again, the tears wiped from his eyes. Despite the swollen lips, his expression was the same mild pleasantness that he usually portrayed. "It's not toxic, like aloe, and it is particularly useful to help heal burns." Swiping a bit of the blue gel onto his finger, he rubbed it onto his lips like lip balm. It sank in immediately, disappearing from view, but the blistering stopped moments later. Kurama nodded, satisfied. "The swelling will decrease with time, and my lips will be as good as new in no time! Don't look so worried, Hiei, it was an accident. I'm not going to start hating you because of one mistake!" He moved towards Hiei, his arms outstretched, but Hiei backed away. Kurama stopped, hurt, staring at his friend with concern. Hiei looked… frightened?

"I hurt you, Kurama, without meaning to. What's to say I won't do it again if I give you a hug? Maybe I'm just too dangerous to be with anyone… maybe this isn't such a good idea." Kurama's face dropped into a frown.

"Excuse me? You're done with me already? I just broke up with my girlfriend for you, and you're going to leave me after one failed kiss?!" Hiei stared at him, frowning slightly.

"What do you mean you broke up with Kira for me?" Kurama shrugged.

"I mean what I said. I didn't realize it at the time, of course, but the real reason I broke up with Kira and didn't patch things up like I could have, is that I was pining after you too much!" He flushed scarlet suddenly, afraid that he had said a bit too much. Hiei sighed, thinking hard.

"Well I won't keep running the risk of hurting you like that. I love you, Kurama, but I may have to love you from a distance. I won't hurt you."

"You're hurting me by leaving me!" snapped Kurama, folding his arms. "I don't want excuses, I want solutions. GOOD ones!" He trailed off for a bit, obviously thinking. "Well, if you can't control yourself, you'll just have to learn. And who better to teach you than me?" Hiei opened his mouth to object.

"I don't-"

"Hiei…" The fire demon looked up at his partner and sighed, unable to resist the soft, pleading look Kurama was giving him.

"Very well… But if I end up hurting you again, the deal is off and I keep my distance. Agreed?" Kurama nodded, a look of happiness spreading across his features. Damn that fox was persuasive…

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Well? Did you love it? Did you hate it? TELL ME!! Ideas, although appreciated, will most likely NOT be used as I already have the plot for this fic planned out. I do, however, LOVE criticism. Please review? Pretty please?


	2. Chapter 2

Um, wow. Can I just say thank you to everyone who reviewed this story? I seriously expected to get MAYBE one review. Maybe. Thank you all SO much, I appreciate you all taking the time to read my story. And apparently you like it! YAY! Now, on a more serious note, finals are approaching at my college and I have a number of papers both to write AND to edit. I probably won't be able to update as fast as I did today. Um, I think that's about it... Enjoy!

Warnings: language, explicit sexual content (**underage people, THIS IS YOUR WARNING!** I expect you to leave now if you are not legally allowed to read explicit sexual scenes.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or anthing relating to it.

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Dragons' Kiss

"Dammit Kurama, this isn't helping!" Hiei shoved his partner's hand away from his cheek, where his had been trailing lightly only seconds before. The fire demon's breathing was somewhat heavier than normal as he stomped to the bathroom to run his head under a cold shower. Water splashed onto his bare chest as he let it cascade over his head, sizzling as it touched his skin and evaporated almost instantly. Kurama wandered over to the door, folding his arms over his own bare chest and cocking a slim hip out to lean against the wooden frame. A smirk played across his healing lips as he watched his lover run his head under the icy water.

"Control, Hiei, remember? You need to control your powers, not let them come bursting out of you like that." It had been nearly two weeks since Hiei and Kurama's first painful kiss, and Kurama had decided that it was time to start working with Hiei on his self-control. Of course _his_ idea of "help" was simply cruel, in Hiei's opinion. Because Hiei's powers burst out of him during moments of intense passion, Kurama reasoned that he had to learn to control them while in the throes of passion. Since Hiei flatly refused to try anything like kissing until he was sufficiently controlled, Kurama had had to come up with a new way to impassion him. Thus, Hiei had spent the last 45 minutes trying to control himself while Kurama ran his wickedly skilled hands all over his upper body.

The little fire demon hadn't exactly passed with flying colors… Kurama's hands had both been burned and now lay blistered beneath bandages tenderly wrapped by Hiei. Kurama's frostweed salve worked wonders to stop the burning process, but its healing abilities were torturously slow. Kurama was considering looking into basic healing spells in his free time; knowledge like that was always useful.

"I'm done, Kurama! We agreed that if I hurt you I would keep my distance, remember?" Hiei had pulled his head from the shower once the water stopped evaporating from him and he felt sufficiently in-control again, and was now towel-drying his hair vigorously.

"Who said you hurt me?" Kurama's voice was silky; more like Youko's than the human's. Hiei scowled at him from beneath the towel.

"I burned your hands raw! I won't hurt you again! We're done with this." Kurama pushed himself away from the door frame with a small shove, walking towards Hiei slowly. His hips swayed gently as he walked; something Hiei couldn't help but take notice of. "What are you-?" Kurama caught hold of his shoulder and spun him around to face the wall, holding the small body pressed to his own.

"Shh…" A hand, freed of its bandages, drifted down Hiei's chest and abdomen, hovering just above the waist of his pants. The fire demon swallowed hard, feeling his energy start to rise. _Control it…_ He watched the hand; something made it glisten in the soft bathroom lighting… Before he had time to think about what the shiny substance may be, the hand slipped into his pants. Something deliciously smooth and frigidly cold took hold of his hardening member, stroking the length slowly but firmly.

"Hng- K-Kurama! What are you doing?!" Hiei felt his energy flare, uncontrolled, and the solid abs that had been behind him arched away suddenly with an almost inaudible gasp of pain. The hand in his pants, however, stayed put, even stroking a bit slower if possible. "Stop, I don't want to burn you!" Yet the demon's small hips arched into the icy hand's touch, wanting more. With a smirk, Kurama began to tease the organ, his skilled fingers hitting all the right places. "Ahh-!" Hiei's eyes closed of their own accord as his body reacted to the extreme pleasure. Kurama had learned long ago that light touches were often more effective than harsh pulls or tight squeezes.

Hiei was nearing his climax now; his breathing had grown ragged and he couldn't stop the delightful moans pouring from his throat. Taking the shaft gently in hand, Kurama ran his thumb over Hiei's slit, feeling cum hotter than magma come gushing out even as he did. Unable to take the intense temperature, he withdrew his hand at last.

Hiei staggered for a moment as though drunk, then fell forward, catching himself on the marble counter with one hand. The stone beneath his fingers began to melt, leaving an impression of his hand even as he withdrew it. Pleased with himself, Kurama knelt to whisper in his lover's ear.

"Learn to control your powers and we can do this without the frostweed…" Hiei groaned his agreement, looking back at his fox through heavily lidded eyes.

"Good God, fox… where did you learn to do that?" Kurama smirked at him, a flash of gold passing through his eyes.

"Don't forget who I used to be, Hiei…"

"Used to…?" Kurama laughed, patting Hiei's scalding side with his salve-covered hand.

"Into the shower with you; you're melting stone you're so hot!" Cold water was already gushing from the tap, but most of it evaporated before it had the chance to touch Hiei's skin. The waves of heat rolling off of him were outrageous, and the tiny bathroom was soon stiflingly hot. Kurama opened the door and the window, hoping to let some of the heat escape, then went back to pouring buckets of icy tap water over Hiei's steaming form. Luckily (or perhaps not so luckily, he mused), Hiei's clothes were fire-retardant and seemed to be doing fine in the extreme heat. But… Kurama pondered the thought that had just flitted across his mind, then nodded resolutely. Reaching forward, he yanked Hiei's pants to the ground, toppling the unprepared fire apparition.

"Hey! What the-?!" Hiei spluttered as his feet were swept from under him and his pants were removed. As it turned out, his underwear HADN'T been flame retardant… or perhaps he simply didn't wear any. A smirk ghosted across Kurama's face, but was gone before Hiei could even register it.

"To help you cool down," he explained, splashing another bucket of cold water onto the naked demon. The water actually made it to Hiei's skin this time, sizzling as it boiled away. Hiei looked up at him nervously, as though unsure how his lover would react to the sight of him naked. Kurama smiled in approval, reaching forward and catching a bit of the thick black hair to twirl around his finger affectionately. "Perfect, just as I suspected…"

Suddenly, without warning, a shriek came from the wide-open bathroom door.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

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Did you like it? Did you hate it? Did it make you wanna gouge your eyes out? LET ME KNOW! I am but a poor, lonely college student without a social life! I love getting reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry about the long wait between updates, but I warned you all that I had finals and stuff! This was typed mostly late at night, so I blame any mistakes on that. If I catch them, I'll fix them. Anyway, thanks to all of my reviewers, I really appreciate the feedback! Um... warnings for this chapter... There really aren't any? I don't know that I need to wanr you about anything.

Disclaimer: I don't own YYH or any of its characters. I do own Takata, please ask before you use him!

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Hiei and Kurama both jumped, whirling to see who had shouted. Kurama's stomach dropped, his cheeks flushing as he came face to face with Keiko, her eyes the size of dinner plates and the tray of muffins she had been holding broken and scattered about her feet. With a sound somewhere between a growl and a whimper, Hiei disappeared out the window, leaving Kurama to deal with the stunned girl.

"Ah… Keiko, hi…" Suddenly aware of his bare chest, Kurama folded his arms, clearing his throat. "Um…"

"Wh-what-? I mean… was that Hiei?" Mentally calming himself, Kurama nodded.

"Yes, that was Hiei." Still in apparent shock, Keiko nodded dumbly.

"You were… you're… OH MY GOD, YOU AND HIEI ARE HAVING AN AFFAIR!!" Kurama winced at the sudden loud noise, holding up a hand to stop the shrieking.

"Keiko, please! We would appreciate your discretion, and-"

"YOU'RE GAY!!" Keiko was wild-eyed, pointing at Kurama as if accusing him of a crime. Kurama sighed.

"Yes, Keiko, I like men. Is that a prob-"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! YUSU-" In a flash, Kurama clapped a hand over her mouth and nose, feeding a bit of energy to the seed in his palm to make it sprout and let off its powerful sedative. Keiko struggled momentarily, then ceased, sliding downward as she fell into a deep sleep. Kurama supported her, laying her gently on the floor in his room and making sure she was in a comfortable position. Then, grabbing his jacket, he hurried off to see what had become of Hiei. Keiko would be all right; the sedative wasn't dangerous, just strong. He wondered how Hiei was going to take this unexpected intrusion…

-

Streaking through the trees, Hiei did not bother to glance back. Tears hotter than lava were flowing down his cheeks as he ran, trying to escape the memory of the look on Keiko's face. And Kurama… He had been embarrassed. EMBARRASSED! But then again, he though bitterly, who _wouldn't_ be embarrassed of being caught with someone like himself? Forget it, he wouldn't be around to embarrass Kurama any more. He was headed for Makai, where he could leave this all behind him. Who was he kidding? He had known that this relationship was doomed before it started! He had only himself to blame for this rejection… Making a beeline for the Kakai barrier, he found an opening and slipped through, escaping into the abyss of the Makian forest.

Several hours later found Hiei sleeping peacefully in a tree, dreaming of his encounter with Kurama. His body twitched as it remembered the pleasure those wickedly skilled fingers has given it. His breathing increased as his energy spiked suddenly, the mere memory enough to elicit a response from the hyper-sensitive demon. The tree he was in burst into flame, quickly burning to ash and dropping him to the forest floor beneath. Ashes flew, catching nearby bushes, flowers, even other trees on fire. Hiei woke with a gasp, the forest around him ablaze.

"SHIT!" Although Hiei was comfortable within the flames, he knew that other demons would be less forgiving; especially those who lived in this area. He had two choices: try to put out the flames, or run and hide. He chose to run. Dashing away from the flames he had created, he ran straight into something incredibly solid. With a groan he fell, blacking out.

-

"You up? Helloo, pyro-boy!" Hiei felt a sharp tap at his shoulder. "Open your eyes, dumbass!" Ruby eyes shot open, ready with a glare for the insulter. It turned out to be a large man with icy blue eyes and white-blonde hair. With his pale white skin, he was nearly blinding to look at. Hiei found himself squinting.

"Who the fuck are you?" The blinding brightness seemed to fade, and Hiei vaguely registered that it must have been an aura.

"Name's Takata, pyro-boy. You got one?" Hiei snorted.

"Not one you need to know. Where the hell am I?" He sat up, looking around suspiciously, then hopped off the soft bed of pillows he had been laying on.

"My home," replied Takata. "You took a pretty bad hit when you ran into me, and I couldn't just leave you to get mauled by the kitsunes that live, excuse me lived, in the forest you just razed. They were a little bit pissed about that." Hiei blinked, frowning at the big man.

"Why wouldn't you just leave me? You have no connection to me." Takata shrugged, raking a hand through his thick, white-blonde hair.

"I dunno, just seemed like a good idea at the time." He was squinting at Hiei, scratching his head. "Say, aren't you the little Jaganshi, Hiei? What were you doing burning down a kitsune forest? I thought your partner was a kitsune… you know, Youko Kurama?" Hiei scowled upon hearing his not-quite-lover's name.

"And? I do whatever the hell I want. Besides, why would my partner care if I burned down a kitsune forest? He has no connection to them." Takata shrugged again.

"Just saying…" Now it was Hiei's turn to question.

"How did you manage to survive a run-in with my flames? Most die upon contact, what makes you so special?" A slow smile made its way across Takata's face. His energy rose steadily, quickly reaching a Master level.

"I'm an Ice apparition, see… An Ice Master, actually." Hiei was frowning, his arms crossed across his chest. This could turn dangerous fast… A Master class Ice apparition; that would be a real fight. And, he was ashamed to admit, he was a bit worried that he had no back-up to help…

"And what exactly do you want with me?" Once again, Takata shrugged.

"Ah, I dunno. I really just don't want you burning down any more forests. Why'd you do that, anyway?"

"I didn't mean to…" Hiei's voice was low, annoyed.

"Then why did you?" Despite Takata's slow, lazy tone of voice, Hiei could hear a bit of a chuckle behind it.

"It was an accident!" he growled, his teeth gritted. "I just… it just happened, ok?" A slow smile worked its way across Takata's face again.

"I can help you with that."

"Help me with what?!" snapped Hiei.

"Your control problem. It's more common than you might think; especially in demons with as much power to control as you. Whatcha say?"

"I can handle it myself!" Hiei's energy flared as his anger flared, setting the pillows aflame. Takata quenched them with a wave of his hand.

"Is that how you 'handle it'?" Hiei shot him a glare, a few sparks shooting from his fingers to his chagrin.

"Why the fuck do you care anyway? I can't burn any of your things, so it shouldn't matter to you."

"You can't burn my things, but you CAN burn my friends' things," replied Takata, frowning. "I can't be around them all the time, and I dislike the idea of a rogue fire demon running around without control of his powers anyway. Actually, I LOATHE the idea of someone with your kind of power running around without it under control. I'm not going to let you leave until you have control of your powers, and that's that." Takata folded his arms, the decision made. Hiei was outraged.

"You DARE to order me around?! You'll see what happens when you try and tame the Dragon!" Hiei felt his energy building with his anger and welcomed the power, allowing it to increase exponentially. Soon he would have enough to unleash the Dragon. But, before he could build enough energy, he felt another energy in the room spike insanely high. Takata was surrounded by the blinding white glow again, his face set solemnly. The two demons stared at one another for a moment, neither making a move as their energies kept increasing. Satisfied with his energy level at last, Hiei set about releasing the Dragon. Even as it emerged, it was knocked back and Hiei's breath was knocked from him by an icy blast. A frigid gust slammed him backwards into a hard stone wall, then upward into an equally hard stone ceiling. Hiei grunted, trying to hold onto his power, but he felt it slipping away.

"Don't try me, pyro-boy! If I say you're staying, you're staying!" Hiei opened his mouth to shoot back a snappy reply, but was gagged by a burst of freezing air. "I'll just have to give you some time to cool off!" Hiei felt himself moving just before he was slammed harshly onto the floor once, twice, three times… His last view, as he faded to unconsciousness, was Takata's somber face watching him.

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Well? Did you like it? Sorry about the wait, but I've been really busy! I hope it's up to your standards. If not... well... there'll be another one coming, so just wait for it. Do you like where the plot's going? Don't worry, Kurama's still a part of this! Anywho, review!!

Princess Seki


	4. Chapter 4

Ok, so this chapter was a long time coming, I know... I'm sorry for the long wait, but I've been super busy and writer's block SUCKS. Thanks a million to Shadow Vampiress for beta-reading for me. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into doing that for me, and I tried to have Hiei stay a bit more true to his character in this chapter. I may have failed. To tell you all the honest truth, I'm far more confident writing smooth-talking characters like Kurama and Kuronue than gruff, stoic charcters like Hiei. I intend to eventually go back and attempt to correct my mistakes in the previous chapters when I have time, but I'm so busy right now that I have no idea when I might get that time. Also, in response to Irene Sharda's comment that no one can stand up to Hiei, I must respectfully disagree. While Hiei is a powerful character, he is not all-powerful, and he can be beaten. Takata is an ice master, something Hiei would be weak against, and I feel that Hiei _could_ be beaten, especially when he is as emotional as he is right now. Um... that's all, I suppose. I'm not super-proud of this chapter, but I felt I owed my reviewers a new chapter. Enjoy!

Warnings: Some profanity and a tad bit of somewhat graphic imagery.

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"What the HELL are these?!" Takata's face cracked an amused smirk as he heard Hiei wake in the next room over. He had laid the little fire demon in his bed to recover, then gone and poured himself a glass of porsyth nectar; an alcoholic drink most demons found too sweet to stomach. Takata loved it, and he always kept a good supply on hand despite its rarity.

Rising from his comfortable position on the floor, Takata entered his bedroom to see Hiei repeatedly smashing his arm against the floor in an effort to get the power-capping cuff off of it. It wasn't working. From what Takata could see, Hiei was only going to end up bruising his arm.

"Hiei, stop, that's not the way to get them off." Hiei's head snapped up and he bristled at Takata, who simply folded his arms calmly.

"What the FUCK did you put on me?!"

"Just a few power-capping cuffs," replied Takata. "You were a danger before. Now you're under control. They won't hurt you, don't worry." What Takata _didn't_ tell Hiei was that the thin bands of metal around his neck, wrists, and ankles bound him to Takata's home; making it impossible for him to leave until Takata removed them. Maybe that was too much to throw at the stressed boy at once.

With a snarl, Hiei slammed his wrist down onto the stone floor once again, letting out a howl of frustration as the cuff remained intact and undamaged by the blow. Raising it to his mouth, he began attempting to bite at it, but it was so thin that it was smooth against his skin. Takata watched, amused, until he saw blood. Hiei was biting through his own flesh in an attempt to get the cuff off!

"That won't work either, you know. Chewing off your own arm just leaves you with one less arm." Hiei glared up at him, his threatening look somehow more intimidating when his face was smeared with blood.

"Who said I'm chewing it off? I'm just providing lubrication." Takata blinked, looking puzzled.

"Why not just use saliva?" Hiei grunted as he began working the blood under the cuff.

"Blood doesn't dry as quickly." He brightened as the cuff began to move a little and flexed his arm to get another gush of blood from his self-inflicted wound. Moments later, he triumphantly slid the offending cuff from his wrist and threw it at Takata's feet. The larger man raised a brow at his captive and bent to pick up the cuff that had been tossed at him. As soon as his head was lowered, Hiei dove on his captor, aiming for the neck with his teeth, but a sudden gust of icy air threw him against the ceiling and pinned him there. Biting back a few choice swear words, Hiei forced himself to relax and waited for Takata to release him.

After delicately plucking the cuff from the ground, Takata slowly rose to his feet again and spent an agonizingly long time examining it before looking up at the little fire demon he had pinned to the ceiling. Hiei shot him a glare that would have made most demons' blood run cold, but Takata simply gave a mild, pleasant smile.

"You're so high-strung; you need to learn to relax." Hiei bared his teeth. When he got free he was going to make this man rue the day he was born! "You see," continued Takata, affecting not to notice Hiei's less-than-warm expression, "this is why I had to cap your power. I can't possibly allow someone as hot-headed as you to go off and burn things down when you get into your rages. Which, I'm betting, are fairly frequent. How DOES Kurama put up with you?" Hiei gave another snarl, hoping Takata didn't notice the blush that had flared at the mention of Kurama.

"Our partnership is based on ability, not on temperament! It doesn't matter to him that I have a "hot" head, as you say, because he knows what I am capable of and how to make use of it. Now LET ME DOWN!" With a shrug, Takata allowed the icy air holding Hiei to dissipate, and the little fire demon fell to the ground with a grunt. He leapt to his feet, fists clenched tightly, but froze as he felt another gust of frigid air ready to sweep him back to the ceiling. Quickly, he ran through his options; attack and be pinned to the ceiling again, or relax and let the bastard get away with his insults. Either way, Takata got away without injury; might as well keep his own dignity and not be pinned to the ceiling again. He relaxed, allowing his fists to unclench, but he kept the heated glare fixed on Takata's face until the icy air dissipated again. With a growl, he dropped onto the bed and began to work on getting the cuff off his left wrist.

"You know-" Hiei's head jerked up, splattering Takata with blood. The ice master wiped himself off with an expression of mild disgust and continued what he had been saying. "Your method of removing those cuffs may work on your arms and legs, but I don't know how you expect to chew the one off your neck." Hiei grunted, but ceased his attempts to get the cuff off. The man was right, he grudgingly admitted to himself, his plan wouldn't work. All he was doing at this point was injuring himself needlessly.

"Now, if you focused your energies on doing as I ask and learning to control yourself instead of spending your time coming up with schemes for self-mutilation-"

"It's not self-mutilation!" snapped Hiei, "I don't do that shit. Every injury I inflict on myself has a purpose; I'm not into the masochism thing."

"Well," said Takata, conversationally, "that's certainly encouraging. That proves some modicum of sanity, at least."

"Fuck off." The larger man shrugged and turned to leave the room.

"If you get hungry, I'll be in the kitchen with food. I'm not a great cook, but…" He trailed off with another shrug and walked out of sight. Hiei's stomach grumbled and he realized for the first time exactly how _hungry_ he really was. Food sounded pretty good right about now, but he didn't want Takata to think he was going to be taking orders about when to eat. And it _had_ been an order, just a politely disguised one. Instead, he settled back to wait an hour or two before he went to get some food. With any luck, Takata would be out of the kitchen by then and he could eat without the other man staring at him in that annoyingly composed way. It reminded him a bit too much of Kurama, and he was NOT the person Hiei wanted to be thinking about right now. Slowly, without meaning to, Hiei began to drift off to sleep…

-

_"Did you mean what you said down there?"_

_"Which part?"_

_"The part where you said…"_

_"That I loved you?" Kurama's face lifted as he looked into Hiei's eyes, and, for a moment, it was perfect and beautiful, as it had always been. Then it contorted into something monstrous. It was Kurama, and yet it wasn't…_

_"No! How could I ever love someone like you? You hurt me, you bastard! Look at what you did!!" Hiei realized at last that the monstrosity in front of him _was_ his beloved fox, burned and blistered by his own hand! Even as he watched, the skin began to melt away, leaving gleaming white bone behind._

_"Look at what you did to me, Hiei!"_

_-_

"NO!" Hiei jerked upright, feeling a cooling sensation as the power-capping cuffs activated to control his sudden surge of energy. He sat for a moment, breathing heavily, trying to convince himself that the horrible vision had, in fact, been a dream. As he calmed down he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a familiar blue-haired face appear at the door, looking concerned. He jerked his head up to glare at Takata, but the other man was gone by the time he did. Or… had he ever been there to begin with? Hiei hadn't felt his energy at all…

Shrugging off his unease, Hiei rose, stretched, and began wandering around the room to look for escapes. There were none to speak of; the walls, ceiling, and floor all seemed to be made of solid stone. Ruling out the bedroom as an escape route, the little fire demon cautiously snuck out towards what he assumed was the front door. Strangely enough, there was no ward across it. In fact, the door wasn't even LOCKED! Excitement flaring, Hiei ran for his freedom, but he seemed to be slowing as he got closer to the door. His legs became heavy, as though he were trudging through particularly dense mud, and the sensation only got worse the closer he got to the door. By the time he reached it, he was straining for each step, his muscles screaming in protest as he forced himself onward.

"Don't hurt yourself; the cuffs won't let you leave." Hiei glanced behind him to see Takata leaned casually against a wall, his arms folded across his chest as he watched Hiei struggle.

"What… is this?" Hiei choked out, still struggling to move forward. He refused to give up!

"A barrier of my own creation," answered Takata, calmly. "It prevents the wearer of those cuffs from leaving my property. But if you don't believe me, please, keep attempting the impossible." Hiei let out a strangled grunt and continued his futile attempts to leave. He was no longer moving, but straining against some unseen force, inches from freedom. Eventually, after about fifteen minutes of silence, Takata spoke again.

"This is ridiculous; you can't escape, stop trying." A burst of icy air flowed around Hiei, lifting him and bringing him back to Takata, who was looking rather exasperated… in a mild sort of way. "Go and eat your supper, you must be hungry." Hiei bristled.

"I am not some child to be ordered around!"

"You _are_ still young…" murmured Takata, ignoring Hiei's heated glare. "Perhaps _that's_ why you have such poor control over your powers. You are, what, not quite two hundred? You are still what humans might call a teenager by your kind's standards, yes?" Hiei remained silent, crossing his arms sullenly. What did his _age,_ of all things, have to do with anything? What Takata said was true; he was somewhere around 190 years old (he never knew for sure; the bandits who had raised him had always given him an approximation for his age), and that was what humans might consider the equivalent of about 18, but he was not about to let the man think that he could treat him like a child because of it!

"You leave me the fuck alone. As soon as I get the goddamned cuffs off I'm going to destroy you in the slowest, most painful way I know how. By the time I'm through, there won't even be enough of you for a Guide to take up to Judgment!" And, spinning abruptly, he stalked off towards the bedroom. His stomach grumbled loudly, demanding food, but he wasn't about to give in and follow Takata's orders; especially not _now_. He had to get out of here, and that was that. Everything else, even his stomach, could wait. He would escape from this, it was just a matter of proper planning…

--

Well? Was it passably decent? I'm really not thrilled with the way this chapter turned out, but it should get better. Kurama will be showing up again in the next chapter, don't worry! And I will be attempting to add some humor back in (it's gotten kinda dark, huh?); I like humor. As I said, the re-write of the previous chapters will be coming when I have time. I will do it one chapter at a time, and I won't take the story down when I do, but I will put a note up in my profile to let you all know!

I did make a comment on Hiei's age in this chapter, and I hope I made it clear that he is only a teenager by human standards. Chronologically, he is somewhere around 190. I got that number from a conversation a friend and I had about the ages of the different YYH boys. We figure Hiei's type of demon would age a bit more quickly than some because of the fire element. Because fire demons are bound to require so much energy to sustain life, we figured that they would have shorter lifespans than some other types of demons (like kitsunes or the Mazaku, etc.). Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! Love you all bunches!

Princess Seki


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Another chapter done, woo-hoo!! And a relatively quick update this time if I do say so myself. I know the chapter's kinda short, but I think it makes up for it in content! Now, this chapter is extremely pivotal for more than one reason. First and foremost, it has made me re-evaluate exactly where the plotline is going and I have thus made the decision to remove it from the humor section. I believe it is far better suited to drama/romance rather than humor/romance. The other reasons it is pivotal... I'm not telling! Haha! You must read to find out! Enjoy!

Warnings: Language is about the only thing I can think of...

--

Back in the bedroom, Hiei sat down on the bed to make two plans. The first plan was the most important; how to get those cuffs off and get the hell out of this damned prison. The second plan was much more fun to make; his mind threw out many satisfying options to kill Takata, but he knew he couldn't make that happen until he was free of these power-capping cuffs. With a sigh, the little demon forced his mind back to escape plans, each more implausible than the next.

"Where the hell is Kuama when I need him?" Hiei blinked, unsure why he had said that out loud. Where was Kurama, indeed? His mind betrayed him, drifting back to the first kiss he had shared with his partner. "No!" he growled aloud, snapping his focus back to the irksome bands fastened about his extremities. A wave of anger rolled over him as his mind threw out another idea, then crushed it abruptly as he recognized the flaw. This was ridiculous! He had never heard of a demon randomly taking in another demon because he was worried about a lack of control! If this Takata was normal in any sense of the word he would have just killed Hiei on the spot when he found him unconscious in the flames.

The little fire demon was wrenched from his thoughts as Takata entered the room with a tray of food and set it by the doorway. He glanced at Hiei briefly, then turned and walked back out without a word. Perturbed, Hiei rose to see what he had been doing, but before he had even taken a step, an opaque wall of thick ice had frozen over the doorway, effectively trapping Hiei inside the room. He dashed to it and was about to pound on it when he heard a female voice sound from the other side. It sounded vaguely familiar… Pressing his ear to the ice despite the intense discomfort, Hiei listened intently.

"… is looking for him now. I really don't want to take any chances; I need him to be disposed of." That voice! Hiei racked his brain, trying to place the tantalizingly familiar tone to a face. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he almost missed what Takata was saying.

"… don't really want to do that. I told you I'd keep him out of the way, but he thinks I'm keeping him here for training. I even put power-capping cuffs on him to keep up with that lie! I can't kill him when he's so restrained like that." Hiei frowned, trying to make sense of this information. Apparently Takata _wasn't_ keeping him here because of his lack of control. But what was he being kept out of the way of?

"Then take them OFF and kill him, duh! Or I'll do it, I don't care! But I want it done tonight." Hiei's ear was going numb from being pressed against the un-melting ice, so he flipped his head and massaged his frozen ear, missing Takata's reply. When he pressed his non-frozen ear to the ice again, the woman was speaking once more.

"…can do that if you want to, I guess, but I want him out of the picture tonight! If _he_ finds out what we're doing…"

"I'll see to it that he doesn't." replied Takata, curtly. There was a jingling sound as, Hiei assumed, money changed hands. Takata gave a satisfied grunt and there were footsteps as the pair walked away. Straining, but failing, to hear more, Hiei finally resigned himself to the limited knowledge he now had and walked back to the bed to think. Whose voice had that been? He knew he recognized it; he just couldn't seem to place it… Frustrated, puzzled, and apprehensive at the same time, Hiei dropped onto the sea of cushions and allowed himself a groan as he tried to put together the pieces of this important puzzle.

-

"Hey Kurama! Hold on!" The former thief stifled a groan as he paused and looked back at his ex-girlfriend, who was running after him.

"What, Kira?" The girl slowed to a stop next to him and bent double, trying to catch her breath.

"I just… wanted to come back… and see if we could patch things up…" she panted, her cheeks flushed red. Kurama's face hardened into a scowl.

"No, Kira, I'm afraid it's not going to work. You and I are simply not compatible."

"Oh…" Kira looked disappointed, her breathing having slowed sufficiently for her to straighten and look Kurama in the eyes. He sighed, meeting her gaze impatiently. He wanted to find Hiei! He had been searching for two days now, and the most he had found was the remains of a forest that had been burned to the ground by what appeared to be hellfire or something like it. From there his trail went… well… cold.

Yusuke and Kuwabara had offered to help, but he had declined. He had staved off their probing questions as to why he needed to _look_ for Hiei. The fire master was a restless soul; he would be back in a few days after he had cooled his jets a bit. Except that wasn't the case this time…

"… are you doing in Makai right now anyway?" Kurama shook himself back to the present and allowed his eyes to re-focus on the half-demon in front of him.

"I'm looking for someone." Kira perked up noticeably when Kurama spoke to her.

"Ooo, it's not Hiei, is it?" Kurama's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Why would you ask that?" Kira shrugged, not noticing the sudden glare.

"I dunno. I saw him yesterday. He was saying something about a 'damn fox' and burning things like mad. I steered clear; you know how he and I never really hit it off."

"Saw him where?" This time Kira could not overlook the tone of urgency in Kurama's voice. "Where, Kira?"

"He was out by the Mazu caverns. He was talking to himself and burning everything in sight! I don't know what set him off, but I bet it's nothing more than a pile of ashes by n- Hey!"She brandished a fist at Kurama's back indignantly. "You could've said 'thank you', y'know!"

A gruff "thanks" floated back to her as he disappeared over a nearby hill towards the Mazu caverns; away from where Takata held Hiei. A smug smile danced across Kira's normally pouty lips as she turned towards a nearly overgrown path to her right. It went _around_ the hills Kurama was treading _over_ and got her to the other side far faster than he could hope to reach it. Now all she had to do was beat him there and set her own hellfire on a few things before he arrived. And all that time Kurama had thought her nothing more than a pretty face… Well, no matter. He couldn't blame her if he had no idea of her fire powers. Kira's plan to win Kurama back, and thereby secure his riches for herself, was in full swing.

-

Hiei was once again torn from his thoughts as a series of cracks announced the fall of the ice wall that had been blocking him in the bedroom. Takata stepped through the shattered pieces of ice deftly, not bothering to look up even as he sent one of his powerful gusts of icy air to pin Hiei to one of the rough stone walls.

"What the-?" But Hiei could not finish his sentence as a gag of the same icy air forced his jaws apart. Takata grabbed Hiei's right arm and pulled it away from the wall to fasten another power-capping cuff to it. Hiei struggled against the restraint, but Takata held fast and clicked the thin band shut with an invisible catch. Finally, the big ice master released his captive from his icy bonds and turned away, never once meeting Hiei's eyes. With a growl, Hiei launched himself at the foolish man, but Takata slammed him into the ceiling again almost half-heartedly.

"Don't waste your strength, Hiei, you're going to need it."

"Need it? What the fuck are you talking about?! You CAPPED it, you moron!" Takata said nothing, but Hiei was far from finished. "So, you wanna tell me who that woman was and why she had you capture me? Why am I REALLY here?" There was silence from Takata, his broad shoulders seeming a bit hunched, as though he were almost trying to hide from Hiei's searching gaze. "LOOK AT ME, DAMMIT! Why am I here?!" Finally, the big man turned, seeming almost to force himself to meet Hiei's glaring eyes.

"You're here… to keep you from interfering with what's going on with Kurama."

"What IS going on with Kurama?!" came Hiei's quick response. The ice master appeared not to have heard him. There was a pause, then Takata continued.

"_She_ wishes me to kill you, but I don't see how that's necessary. Still, she's the one who's paying me, and she told me you need to be disposed of, so…" Hiei tensed himself for the inevitable blow, but it never came. Instead, he was released from his frigid bonds and crashed unceremoniously to the ground. Hiei looked up at the hulking figure standing over him, perplexed. Takata made no move towards him, so Hiei jumped up, ready with a glare for his captor.

"What's wrong? Too weak-kneed to carry out the woman's orders?" Icy blue eyes flashed and a swirl of frosty air swept through the room to leave Hiei no doubt of his captor's powers, but still the man did not attack. Hiei blinked; that was the first show of anger he had ever seen from Takata… the man was usually so mellow…

"I do not attack those unable to fight back."

"Then release these damned bonds!" snapped Hiei, but apparently Takata hadn't been finished. A gag of air was shoved into Hiei mouth as the big man spoke again.

"I won't attack you, but neither can I release you. Because _she_ demands that you are disposed of, I will see to it that I follow her orders. I know a man who will be quite pleased to have you for a while until Kira decides what she wants done." Hiei's eyes popped at the name Kira, but he could not speak through the gag in his mouth. Still, his mind raced. What could that good-for-nothing bitch Kira have to do with any of this? She wasn't powerful or rich or influential enough to orchestrate something of this magnitude! And what about this man he was to be sent to…?

He suddenly became aware of exactly how _cold_ he had gotten. He was starting to lose feeling in his extremities, and as his body temperature lowered, his eyelids got heavier. The last thing he saw, as he slid out of consciousness, was Takata's mild face watching him.

"Pleasant dreams…"

--

You know you loved it, right? Haha, isn't Kira just an evil little bitch? Characters like her are so much fun to write... Anywho, review review review!! Love it, hate it, just felt like saying 'hey'? I don't care, just write me something! Love you all!!

Princess Seki


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Gah! Long wait, I apologize! First, let me say that I do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT like this chapter. I don't like it. It bugs me, it saddens me, it infuriates me, I just don't like it!! But it has been written and worked on, and you all have been patient long enough. I don't like how it turned out, and try as I did to keep Hiei in character, I think he may have slipped out again... Dammit. Um... depending on reader feedback, I may or may not re-write this chapter before I move on to chapter seven. Ok, enjoy (or not...)!

Warnings: Profanity, graphic rape, suicidal themes towards the end

--

"Wake, pretty koorime; wake and greet your master." Hiei tried to snap his eyes open, but his lethargic body refused the command. Instead, his eyes drifted slowly open, but his vision was blurry, as though he were seeing everything through a haze. He blinked, also slowly, and tried to get his eyes to focus; he didn't like being blinded.

"Perhaps heat will help you regain consciousness faster, yes?" There was that damned voice again! Hiei tried to jerk his head toward it, but the result was a sluggish twisting of the head. If he wasn't so numb all over, this would certainly be going faster… He inhaled sharply as a surge of heat washed around his languid body, revitalizing him and sweeping the haze from his vision. Almost without thinking, he took stock of his restraints and determined that he still had a collar on made of the same thin metal, but that his wrists and ankles were bound by thicker, stronger bonds of some sort. His body began to respond more quickly; little pinpricks all over him told him that his muscles were waking up after a period of extended inactivity. This brought another thought; how long had he been asleep? No, his mind corrected, not asleep but _frozen_. It was that damned Takata!

"Where is he?" Hiei growled, his teeth clenched angrily. A low chuckle snapped his head to the right. A golden-haired demon who was _not_ Takata was smiling at him in a predatory way, his lips drawn back over his bright white teeth to reveal his gleaming canines. Brilliant green eyes studied him, watching every little movement in a calculating way. Hiei tried immediately to sit up, but was unable to. With a snarl he gave another yank at the cuffs that bound him to the headboard of the bed, but they didn't so much as flex under his efforts. Attempts to move his legs were met with equally disappointing results, leading to a loud stream of profanities. Finally, his attention returned to the golden-haired demon, who was still laughing at him.

"Who the hell are you and why am I tied to a fucking bed?!"

"Not _tied_," the man corrected, "cuffed. I doubt anything supple enough to be used to tie someone would stand up to you for long." There was a note of admiration in his voice, but Hiei missed it; he was too pissed to pick up such a subtlety. "My name is Shien, but you will refer to me as either sir, or master. Are we clear on that?" Hiei's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"No, fuck you! I don't call anyone master. Are we clear on _that_?" Shien smiled his dazzling smile and reached out to run a hand down Hiei's face. Hiei snarled and jerked his head as far back as he could.

"So fiery, just as I expected… I love that in a pet. It makes it so much more fun to break them…" Hiei's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his expression was back to the heated glare. He was suddenly acutely aware that he was naked beneath the blanket that had been laid over him. He didn't like this situation…

"I am NOT your pet. And if you think you can rape me, you're out of your mind. Even if you seal my powers inside me, I can use them on you as soon as you penetrate the outer flesh. But please, if you're a masochist…" He trailed off, a forbidding snarl on his lips. But Shien seemed to take no notice; he appeared to be musing over something Hiei had said.

"No," he said finally, "I suppose you're not REALLY my pet; not in the long run, at least. But I have you for a little while, and Takata only said not to kill you. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I returned you a bit better trained than you are now." The golden-haired man refocused his attention on Hiei. "Now then, to business. Takata instructed me not to keep you tied up the entire time. I'm not sure _why_, but I'll do as he asked. But I can't exactly have you running around free and trying to escape, so I've got a better plan! Can you guess what it is?" Hiei's eyes narrowed and he gave no reply, but Shien seemed determined to get some sort of response out of him. "Come now, certainly you must have some sort of guess!"

"I loathe guessing games," said Hiei, flatly. What was with this man? He was so excitable… yet he kept his spirit energy tightly controlled. Hiei hadn't even gotten a sense of what type of powers he had yet!

"Very well," said Shien, sighing heavily, "I suppose you must be very uncomfortable tied up." Hiei's lip curled in a wordless growl, but he said nothing. "But don't worry, you'll be free to roam wherever you please in a little bit." Still Hiei said nothing, but Shien was only talking to hear his own voice at this point. "Yes, soon you'll be as meek and mild as a little butterfly." He smiled at Hiei, who glared ominously back at him.

"Do your mutterings have a point, or are you just enamored with the sound of your own voice?" Hiei snapped, finally. Shien smiled at him again, his green eyes amused.

"Yes, little Hiei, there is a method to my madness. You are on the bed because that is the most comfortable place for sex, and do not worry about burning me. After all…" He trailed off, flaring his energy for the first time. Hiei's hopes sank; another powerful fire demon. His attempts to burn Shien would amount to nothing. Except… Hiei was certain he was one of only a few who had mastered hellfire. Granted, summoning hellfire internally did present a few risks; Hiei could potentially burn out all of his internal organs. Yet the thought of destroying himself to kill Shien was not altogether upsetting…

But the issue of sex… Hiei was a virgin; a fact he would admit to no one, but a fact all the same. His stomach tightened at the thought of this sadistic lecher being his first experience; he had always hoped Kurama would be the one to take his virginity. The thought of Kurama brought a flush to Hiei's cheeks, but he forced it down with sheer willpower. What were they planning to do to Kurama that Hiei was a factor in? Why did they need to keep him out of the way? Well, whatever it was, Hiei couldn't allow it to happen. He had to break free and warn Kurama, and that was that. That ruled out the hellfire idea… He gave another half-hearted tug at his bonds, then glanced up at Shien.

"What are you going to do to me?" The question was forced out in a harsh, tightly controlled voice. Hiei would not allow any fear to creep into his tone. Shien smiled even more widely, pleased to have Hiei talking to him.

"Ah, so you _are_ curious!" He moved around to sit at the head of the bed and put an arm around Hiei's bare shoulders. Hiei attempted to shrug him off, but Shien seemed not to notice. His fingers twirled idly in the wisps of hair that hung down around Hiei's neck. Hiei allowed a low growl to rumble from his throat, but even that did not dissuade Shien's actions. "Well, I will be performing the Sureibu Soutei; it's one of my favorites, and I haven't had call to use it in _so_ long! But then," he mused thoughtfully, "I haven't had a new pet in years…" He lapsed into silence again; something he seemed to do quite often. Hiei took the opportunity to reflect on what he knew about the Sureibu Soutei.

Hiei had never personally seen the effects of the spell, but Kurama had explained it to him once after an adversary threatened to use it on them. The foolish demon had been dispatched, of course, but Hiei had wanted to know what the spell did.

_"The Sureibu Soutei is a complicated spell that takes much practice. The one casting it must mark the victim with a bite on the neck and gain a physical act of submission at a precise moment. If all goes correctly, a bond is formed between the two that forces the one who was bonded to obey the will of the one who bonded him. Those who do not know how to do it are usually killed by the person they failed to enslave." Kurama sighed, flipping his hair nonchalantly over his shoulder as he and Hiei walked through one of the many forests that covered the demon plane. "Lucky I had Kuronue there to save my ass when things got out of control the first few times I tried it." Hiei stopped dead, and Kurama actually walked about five more feet before he glanced over and realized that Hiei wasn't beside him anymore. "Hiei?"_

_"You… did that to people?" Kurama sighed, his shoulders slumping._

_"Yes… But if it changes anything, I always went back and removed the spell eventually."_

_"Removed it?" Kurama nodded._

_"Yes, there is a way to break it. Like I said before, the one being bonded must physically submit to the one bonding him. Usually that is done sexually; that's the easiest way to get a physical submission. Once the one bonded is allowed to dominate himself over the one who bonded him, the spell is broken."_

_"So… you let them rape you?" Kurama laughed, shaking his head._

_"Rape me? No. More like I made a good show of letting them be on top." He winked at Hiei, who suddenly became very interested in the trees to his right. "It worked to break the spell, so…" He trailed off, shrugging. Hiei shook his head, disgusted._

_"You were a sick man, Kurama…" The once-thief nodded gravely._

_"I was, but I've reformed. I'll never cast the Sureibu Soutei on anyone again."_

So… dominance was the key to gaining ones freedom from the spell. But Hiei didn't really want to get to the point of having to break it. He would much rather not have to deal with the damned curse at all! He gave another hard pull at his bonds, but they didn't budge; he wasn't going anywhere until Shien decided to let him up. Frustrated, he thrashed violently against his manacles, catching his captor's attention.

"Calm down, Hiei! Don't hurt yourself!" He slid closer to the bound koorime, stroking his face gently. "Don't worry; no one has ever accused me of being a poor lover…" Hiei snarled, attempting to jerk away from the golden-haired demon's caress, but Shien didn't let him.

"Get the hell away from me!" Shien shushed him and pressed a finger to Hiei's lips; Hiei snapped at it. "Touch me again and you'll lose a hand." With a wide smile, the green-eyed fire master swung himself over Hiei's blanket-covered form, straddling him. Hiei's stomach clenched again, and he had to work hard to keep his expression fierce rather than frightened. He hissed, struggling desperately against the cuffs, but they still held fast.

"Hush now, little one," Shien cooed, easing the blanket down inch by inch, "I'm not going to _hurt_ you…" Heart pounding, Hiei focused on keeping his face angry rather than scared. His thrashing ceased as he poured his energy into looking as forbidding as possible, but the larger fire-wielder only chuckled at his sudden cessation of movement. "Have you finally given in to your desires? Much as you struggle, I know you're secretly curious about what I'm doing to you."

"I'm merely conserving my energy; the better to rip you limb from limb later," snarled Hiei, baring his fangs. Shien chuckled again, dipping his head to Hiei's bare chest and gently tracing the contours of the muscles with his tongue. Hiei stiffened, a warning growl issuing from his throat. His captor ignored him, tracing a circle around the koorime's hardened nipple before sucking it into his mouth and flicking his tongue over it. Hiei gasped under his breath as he felt a familiar heat burning in his stomach, but his power-capping restraints kept it from bursting out of him. Much as he fought it, he was becoming aroused.

Shien hadn't missed the sudden hitch in Hiei's breath. He pulled away from the young man's chest and glanced up at him with smoldering green eyes, a smirk playing about his lips. Hiei glared back at him, but the tension on his face gave him away.

"Ah, so you _do_ like this sort of thing… Hm, how amusing. Foreplay just happens to be one of my specialties." The blanket covering Hiei inched down a bit further, baring him to the waist. His clenched muscles were defined nicely as he attempted to control his breathing; something Shien did not fail to notice. "My, my, aren't you built beautifully? What a gorgeous body, I can't imagine why you cover it with all of those ridiculous articles of clothing." One slim finger trailed its way over Hiei's chiseled abdominals and paused just above the blanket that blocked its path.

"It's called modesty, lecher," Hiei growled, desperate to distract Shien, even if only for a moment. He was trying to think, but his damned body kept reacting to the pervert's touch! _Disobedient thing_, he raged mentally at his body, _do not settle for less than perfection!_ Perfection… Kurama… Oops, that was _definitely_ the wrong subject to distract himself with. Immediately his mind played back his memories of that day in the bathroom, and his traitorous body reacted to the remembered sensations as though it were feeling them again at that moment. Hiei groaned, but a sharp twist of his nipple brought him back to the present. Shien was staring down at him hungrily, the predatory gleam back in his verdant eyes.

"You're enjoying this; I saw it in your eyes. Don't be ashamed, Hiei, it's natural. After all, I am the best…"

"You're not," choked Hiei, fighting to control himself as his disloyal body reacted to the golden-haired demon's stimulations and the scent of demon lust that permeated the air. "You're nowhere near Kurama's level." A bright red flush broke over his face as the inferno in his stomach erupted, flooding his body with molten heat at the mention of Kurama's name. Had he really just said that? A flicker of jealous admiration stole over Shien's features.

"So… you've been with that whore of a fox, have you?"

"Kurama's my _partner_," Hiei answered scathingly, neatly avoiding the question. He would let Shien make what assumptions he wanted of that.

With a growl, the larger fire master ripped the blanket away from Hiei's body, smirking at the evidence he had revealed. Fueled by his erotic memories of Kurama and Shien's skilled digits, Hiei's erection lay nearly pressed to his stomach. He burned with shame, but Shien didn't seem to notice any difference on his already flushed face.

"Obviously you're not hard to please," the larger man murmured, grasping the length firmly in his hand. Hiei sucked in his breath sharply, his hips jerking back, but Shien followed him, keeping a solid hold on his member. Slowly, his hand began moving up and down, caressing. Hiei clenched his muscles even tighter, not allowing his hips to move with Shien's motions, despite his body's cry for satisfaction. Shien was watching him with a sadistic smirk, and Hiei met his eyes defiantly, locking them with his own. Then, quite suddenly, a tingling pain shot up his spine as something hard was shoved into his tightly clenched entrance. The little koorime gasped, breaking his gaze from Shien's to see what the madman was doing to him. A single finger was probing cautiously into his previously untouched entrance, joined by another finger even as Hiei watched. Another jolt of pain shot up his spine, and he gritted his teeth to keep from gasping again. This was so different than any type of pain he had ever felt before; this was so… wrong.

"Loosen up, pet, or you'll hurt yourself," warned Shien, slowly beginning to scissor his fingers. Hiei tried clenching his muscles tighter, but he only caused himself more pain. Slowly, cautiously, he began to relax himself. The pain eased, but an odd, painful pressure remained as Shien continued to stretch Hiei's tender, unclaimed posterior. A third finger was added, bringing the sharpest stab of pain yet, and Hiei stifled a whimper. "I said relax!" growled Shien, stabbing roughly into Hiei's tight entrance. Hiei's muscles tightened reflexively against the intrusion, bringing another wave of pain and a harsh growl from him as he subdued another cry. Then, quite suddenly, a wave of absolute pleasure coursed through him. He gasped in wonder, his eyes closing automatically, as some hidden spot deep within him was stroked again and the pleasure redoubled.

"There it is…" murmured his captor, once against stroking at that magical spot. Hiei arched against his bonds, wreathed in blinding bliss, until the fingers were suddenly removed and replaced by something hot, wet, and far more flexible. Ruby eyes shot open to see a golden head by his entrance and a devilish pink tongue sliding in and out of the fully relaxed ring of muscle.

"Wh-what the hell do you think you're doing?" His voice came out as a harsh whisper, still recovering from his moment of bliss.

"I prefer lubrication," replied Shien, still lapping at the chained koorime's rear. Hiei didn't like the feeling of Shien's saliva inside him; he felt the obsessive urge to clean himself of the monster's filth. Squirming, he attempted to move away from the fire master's heated mouth. Shien glanced up.

"Very well, if you're that eager…" He moved upward fluidly, and Hiei felt a sudden, larger heat pressing at his backside. Automatically, his muscles clenched again, forbidding entrance, but Shien would have none of it. With a harsh snarl, he slammed himself forward, successfully pushing past the tight ring of muscle. Hiei couldn't help himself; he screamed.

"S-STOP!" He jerked, trying to get away from the intrusive pain that was overtaking the entire lower half of his body.

"God, you're tight!" The golden-haired rapist hissed, inching himself further into his captive's struggling body. Hiei's inner heat suffused his hardened member, but it was nothing more than a mild discomfort to the fire master. Actually; at the moment he was enjoying it! "So tight," he moaned, rocking gently as Hiei convulsed below him. Realization dawned suddenly on him as he watched the writhing boy beneath him…

"You're new, aren't you? You never fucked Youko Kurama… you've never fucked anybody before!" Slowly, Shien drew himself out, then slammed himself back in. Hiei gave a strangled cry, his face contorted with pain. "I'm your first, aren't I, boy?" Hiei gave no reply as he fought to keep the tears at bay. He would not cry. He. Would. Not. Cry. Another slam; another convulsion from Hiei. Shien was getting into a rhythm now, Hiei's internal blood easing his movements. Another slam, then a new sensation elicited a gasp from Hiei's open, gasping mouth. It appeared Shien had not forgotten Hiei's own erection, which he was squeezing and rubbing harshly in time to his thrusts.

Hiei's eyes opened suddenly (he wasn't sure when he had closed them) when he heard the sound of a low muttering and felt some odd, invisible netting settle over him. He couldn't see it, but it was most definitely there. Quite suddenly, he felt Shien's face by his shoulder and whipped his head towards it, wondering what was going on. But his mind began to grow hazy as his climax neared; Shien's skilled hand moved him swiftly towards his release. With a sudden, low groan, he released, and at that same moment he felt Shien's teeth pierce his skin. The netting tightened suddenly, molding over his entire body like a second skin. What was happening?! Then it hit him… the Sureibu Soutei. He had been bonded to the monster who was still slamming roughly into him, striving for his own release.

Hiei jerked as he felt Shien's release, hotter than magma, pour out into his lacerated interior, then sagged tiredly into the soft bed. He wondered vaguely why it hadn't been burned from his and Shien's actions, but decided dully that it didn't matter. He was tired, captured, and humiliated, and all he wanted to do was die. Since he wasn't sure how to achieve death in his current situation, he decided to settle for sleep. Perhaps he could figure out a way to kill himself in the morning…

"Stay still," Shien's voice whispered, and the netting on Hiei's body stiffened, freezing him in place as his master released the manacles binding him to the bed. "Now relax," murmured the golden-haired rapist. The netting on Hiei's body softened, and he sagged into the soft bed again. "Stay in this room and sleep. I will come and get you when it is time to get up." The netting pulsed once, acknowledging the order as Shien rose and left the room, not even bothering to lock the door.

Hiei curled into a ball, gasping as his body protested, and finally let himself cry into the privacy of the pillow. _Kurama will never want me now…_

A pile of onyx tear gems built beneath his head as Hiei cried himself to sleep.

--

Ah! I know! I'm a terrible person!! It was a bad chapter, I know, and I'm really sorry about it! Let me know if you think it should be re-written!! But please, PLEASE don't report me for it! I warned you all what was coming! I really don't want this story taken down, and I REALLY don't want to lose all of my lovely reviews! Ok, tell me what you think! Much love to you all!

Princess Seki


	7. Chapter 7

Ok, wow, this has been a LONG time coming, huh? Yeah, my most sincere apologies for the long wait! School was busy, then I had a medical thing, then... blah blah blah. Whatever. Anyway, I think this chapter keeps the plot moving quite nicely. Hopefully the limitations of the Sureibu Soutei will become evident to you shortly, and YES, Kurama makes a return in this chapter! Yay! Ok, enough rambling, on to the story!

Warnings: Hmm... profanity... implied rape... not much

Disclaimer: You know I don't own YYH. Can you imagine how dark it would have been if I did? Yeah, me neither...

--

"Wake up." Hiei's eyes snapped open of their own accord as consciousness bore down on him heavily. He blinked, eyes wandering until they focused on Shien, who was sitting beside Hiei on the bed. The blonde was watching him curiously, a smile tugging at his lips as Hiei sat up cautiously, and, finding that he was able to do that, leapt out of bed, landing a few feet away with a snarl ready on his lips. The hopelessness of the previous night had vanished; now Hiei was pissed. Unfortunately, the pain from the previous night had _not_ disappeared; he attempted to hide his grimace as his backside screamed its protest at him.

"You stay the hell away from me!" Shien chuckled, leaning back lazily against the headboard of the bed.

"What, no threats? Haven't you tested your powers yet, Hiei?" The little koorime frowned; what was Shien playing at? His powers were bound… weren't they? Warily, he attempted to summon his spirit energy, and, to his great surprise and delight, felt the familiar sensation of power rushing through his body and gathering in his clenched fist. Throwing caution to the wind, he called upon the full extent of his powers and began building to release the Dragon of the Darkness Flame.

"You shouldn't have told me that, fool…" The gleam in Hiei's ruby eyes was manic, the snarl on his face telling of his frenzied rage. Shien felt the sudden surge of energy and sat up, his face displaying only the barest amount of concern. His sparkling green eyes searched Hiei's face briefly, then he smiled again and laid back once more.

"Do not attack me, Hiei, and that's an order." Immediately, the invisible netting tightened, cutting off Hiei's access to his powers. The power of the Darkness Flame faded away, much to Hiei's frustration; he was free of his power-capping cuffs but just as limited as he had been when they were intact! "Come here." Hiei's muscles moved him towards the bed despite his struggle to run the opposite direction. "Sit." Hiei sat.

"What the fuck are you doing to me?!" Shien sighed.

"Must I explain this again? You are bound by the Sureibu Soutei. Your body is physically bound to obey my orders; you don't have a choice in the matter." Hiei growled as the blonde trailed a hand lightly down his cheek, but when he turned to snap at him, he found that he couldn't make his jaws close on Shien's fingers. The netting tightened, freezing his muscles until Shien's fingers were safely out of the way. Shien chuckled at Hiei's apparent annoyance.

"Oh, calm down, Hiei." Hiei did _not_ feel himself becoming any calmer. "It'll just take some getting used to. At least you're not shackled anymore, eh?" He clapped Hiei on the shoulder, and the netting tightened once more as Hiei attempted to burn the offending hand.

"Get your hand _off_ of me!" he snapped, baring his teeth. Shien merely smirked, his jewel-green eyes amused.

"You're not exactly a morning person, are you? No matter, I'll come back when you're a bit less grumpy. Enjoy your breakfast, my little koorime." And, with one last stroke of Hiei's cheek, Shien took his leave. Hiei spat a string of curses at his back, but Shien merely chuckled as he shut the door.

Shoving the platter of food aside, Hiei rose to pace, then strangled a scream as his ruined posterior sent an electric jolt of pain crackling up his spine. He collapsed, a fist stuffed in his mouth to keep from screaming, and waited for the pain to become manageable again. Eventually, when he could breathe steadily again, he sat up, mindful of his injuries, and began to think.

Between the white-hot flashes of pain, three thoughts occurred to him. First, that he had not been ordered to stay in his room. Second, that he had _not_ calmed down when Shien commanded him to. And, third, that he had not eaten since before his capture by Takata. His stomach growled angrily at him, evidence of his third thought, and the food that Shien had left him certainly didn't _smell_ poisoned… Crawling carefully back to his bed, mindful of his injuries, Hiei pulled the tray of food into his lap and settled back to think.

-

"What the-?" Kurama was frozen, his face blank with shock, as he stared about at the ruins of the once-scenic Mazu caverns. The forest that had surrounded the caverns had been reduced to nothing more than powdery black ash. And the caves, which had been thick granite, were now twisted blobs of misshapen rock; some of them still hot to the touch. Obviously, Hiei had been here… Only hellfire could melt through rock as thick as the caverns. Kurama's heart clenched; Hiei was _really_ upset if he was losing control of his powers this badly. Kurama needed to find him fast… before he destroyed something that would get him in trouble. If only Keiko hadn't walked in on them…

"Hey, Kurama!" The ex-thief's ears twitched. It was Yusuke… Composing himself, he turned to face the detective, his face pleasant.

"Hello, Yusuke." Yusuke opened his mouth to say something, but his jaw went slack as his eyes focused in on the destruction behind Kurama.

"Did… Was… Did Hiei do this?" Kurama sighed, flipping his hair out of his face.

"Yes, I believe so. He's pretty upset about something…"

"Yeah, no kidding…" Yusuke shook himself back to the present, focusing his gaze on Kurama. "Hey, Keiko told me something the other day." Kurama stopped a growl deep in his chest. The girl couldn't just keep her mouth shut, could she?

"About Hiei and me, I suppose…"

"Yeah, and judging by this, she must be telling the truth. So how come you guys haven't invited me and Kuwabara to your extra training sessions?" Kurama, who'd had a reply ready, felt his mouth fall open. He snapped it shut quickly, clearing his throat. Keiko had lied to Yusuke? Keiko had lied to Yusuke to protect himself and Hiei? The red-head felt a sudden surge of affection for the human.

"We hadn't thought you would be interested," he lied, smoothly. "You are, of course, welcome to join us if I ever find where Hiei's run off to."

"Yeah, thanks, man. Hey, what set him off, anyway? It's not like him to be gone for this long…"

"Yes, I know," murmured Kurama, staring around at the charred remains of the caverns again. "I'm not really sure what set him off this much… I'm beginning to grow worried about him, though…"

"Yeah, I know how close you two are," said Yusuke, fixing the red-head with a significant look. Kurama blinked, startled.

"Yusuke-"

"C'mon, dude, do you think we're blind? We know there's something between you and Hiei. Hell, we've known it for years! Actually, Kuwabara and I have a bet going on when you're going to go public… Can you hold off until next year for me?" He winked, jabbing Kurama lightly with his elbow. Kurama blinked, shocked. Yusuke and Kuwabara knew? But it had only been official for a few weeks…

"Yusuke… I don't… how did you…?" Kurama wasn't usually so poor with words. But Yusuke seemed to get the gist of what he was trying to say.

"Um, I'm not blind, ok? There's been chemistry between you two for years; that's why we knew Kira wouldn't last. Good thing, too, she was a whiney little thing." He made a face. "But anyway… You want me to help you find him? You guys didn't get into a fight or something, did you?"

"No, not really," said Kurama, forcing himself to focus again. "And thanks, but no. I'll find him." He turned away from the spirit detective leader and began to pick his way across the barren land that had once been one of his favorite forests. Yusuke shrugged and turned back towards home.

"Yusuke?" The half-demon paused, glancing back at Kurama. "I know you say it's common knowledge, but please don't spread Hiei's and my relationship around the house…"

"Sure, man, whatever you say," replied Yusuke, flashing him a thumbs-up. Kurama nodded his appreciation and disappeared into the distance, resuming his search.

-

"Well, I see you've decided to trust my cooking." Hiei scowled, choosing not to acknowledge the smug voice behind him. He was still in the same room he had been in… apparently Shien's order from the previous night to stay in the room still held. "Or perhaps you were just too hungry to care if I had poisoned it or not." Still, Hiei ignored the taunts. He tried to focus on his thoughts; how _had_ he been able to ignore Shien's order to calm down?

"Hiei… don't ignore me…" Hiei bristled as he felt Shien's hot breath on the nape of his neck.

"Get… the fuck… _away_ from me!"

"Hmm, I see you're calmer this afternoon. What have you been doing while I was away, my little koorime?"

"Plotting your death," snapped Hiei, annoyed.

"I see you found the clothes I left you," Shien went on, speaking as if Hiei had not replied. "They fit you well."

"They make me look like a whore," the little fire demon spat, plucking at the clothes distastefully. Indeed, Shien had left him clothes of the finest material, but they had obviously been designed to show off Hiei's body in an appealing way. The fitted silk shirt only had buttons halfway up the chest; the rest was open for any passing lecher's enjoyment. The tight leather pants hugged Hiei's legs to the knee, then flared gently to cover the black boots. Hiei hadn't minded the boots, but the rest of the outfit was more than humiliating; it was downright degrading. Still, he'd rather be covered than walk around naked, and the silk boxers had been a pleasant cushion for his injured backside.

"Oh, but Hiei, you wear them so _well_." Shien's smile was mocking. Hiei growled at him, looking away so that he wouldn't have to see the man's taunting face.

"Fuck off."

"Oh, I would, but I imagine you're still hurting from last night, aren't you?" Hiei flushed, apparently amusing Shien. "Look at me, Hiei." Unwillingly, the fire demon's eyes were dragged up to meet his captor's.

"You'd better pray I don't figure out how to break this bond, because I swear to God I'll murder you in the slowest, most painful way I know." Shien tsk'd impatiently.

"Such hostile words! I haven't hurt you, Hiei- I mean, a few wounds of passion are nothing!- but I will have to punish you if you continue to be so disrespectful. I've been taking good care of you!"

"Bullshit!" Hiei snapped, "You've been using me like some damned little sex slave! And I _will_ kill you. Punish me, see if I care. It'll only make revenge that much sweeter…"

"Hiei," sighed Shien, almost regretfully, "I'm going to have to teach you some manners…" He stood and began to unbutton his pants. "Now lay still…"

-

Kira smirked as she watched Kurama wander aimlessly through the ruins of the hellfire she had set. He suspected nothing… Time to steer him further in the wrong direction. She crept out from behind an outcropping of rocks and paused when Kurama caught sight of her, feigning shock.

"Kurama?"

"Kira? What are you doing out here?"

"Hiding! Hiei came through here a little while ago, pissed as fuck and burning stuff like mad!" Kurama frowned suspiciously.

"Why aren't you burned, then?"

"He didn't see me, thank God. I ran the opposite way he was going. I don't think he noticed me, 'cause he didn't turn back. I don't know what's got him so mad, but he seemed out of control!" She sank to the ground, shaking, and pulled her knees into her chest as though she was scared. Kurama took the bait, like she knew he would, and she felt a comforting arm wrap around her shoulders a moment later.

"It's alright, don't cry. He won't hurt you, I promise, just steer clear of him, alright?" Kira nodded, sniffling, and laid her head against Kurama's chest; as though comforted by his presence. Kurama sighed, stroking her hair absent-mindedly for a moment before standing and helping her to her feet.

"You seem to be running into him pretty frequently. Maybe it's not safe for you out here. Go on back to the house and wait there until I find him. I don't want you to get hurt when he's unstable like this." Kire flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she smirked into his chest.

"Thank you, Kurama! I'm so scared out here, I feel like he could kill me at any minute!" Kurama rubbed her back soothingly.

"It'll be alright, just go on back to the house." Kira nodded, leaning up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek, then running off in the direction of the house. "Oh, and Kira…" She paused, turning back to Kurama with an innocent look on her face.

"Yes?"

"This is _only_ until I find Hiei, alright? After that, I'm afraid you're on your own again…"

"Of course," she said, nodding as she turned away again. _We'll see about that…_

_--_

Well? Was it worth the long wait? Of course not! But was it good anyway? PLEASE review! I'm a little hesitant about this chapter... I Like it, but then again I tend to love all my stuff (my writing is my baby! I have to love it!). Review review review! Much love!

Princess Seki


	8. Chapter 8

Soooo... that was a LONG ass time between updates. Oh well. I was busy. But then I got a snow day and look at what happened! So here is the formula (ready? this is college-level smart stuff): snow day+ bored me= new chapter! Ok, enough rambling... This chapter may be a little bit confusing... It will clear up in the next chapter, I promise. If you try, you can keep up with it during _this_ chapter! :)

Warnings: Graphic rape, profanity

Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or anything relating to it. I don't think I actually have any money to my name, but if you feel like taking me to court... well... I guess that's your business, eh?

* * *

"S-STOP IT!" Hiei's body was frozen by the netting, but had he been granted free movement, he would have been writhing. From behind him, Shien chuckled sadistically.

"Have you learned your lesson yet, pet?" A cruel hand clawed its way down Hiei's back, leaving a fresh set of bloody scratches in its wake. Shien's face practically glowed with delight as he watched the crimson rivulets wind their way down Hiei's lacerated skin. He had quite a fetish for blood…

"Get OFF!" Hiei had kept himself from crying throughout his entire "punishment", but the tears were pooling, threatening to overflow.

"Now _that's_ not very polite!" said Shien. He jammed his hips forward, earning another shriek from Hiei's raw throat. "You're supposed to be learning manners… I suppose I'll have to keep going until you do." He gave another small thrust, and a wave of pleasure raced through Hiei, drowning the pain out momentarily.

"Go to hell!" Though whispered, the words were fierce. Hiei simply didn't have the voice to scream anymore.

"I'll meet you there, Forbidden One." Even without seeing Shien's face, Hiei could tell he was smirking. He could _hear_ the expression in the bastard's voice. He gave one more harsh thrust, and, with a pleasured gasp, released himself into Hiei's backside. Hiei groaned, welcoming the pained pull on his broken skin as Shien extracted himself from him. He expected to feel the netting loosen, but it still held fast.

"What are you-?" He was cut off as his golden-haired rapist captured his lips in a dominant kiss.

"You're badly injured, pet, and you need medical attention."

"If I'm injured _you're_ to blame!" snapped Hiei, hoarsely. He registered vaguely that Shien was re-dressing him and zipping up his own pants as he spoke.

"So I'm keeping you restrained right now, since you're allowed to leave the room again and I don't want you to injure yourself or anyone else." Vaguely, it felt as though the netting loosened infinitesimally. Not enough to allow any sort of movement on Hiei's part, but it was a definite signal that the order from earlier had been removed.

"We're headed for the medical bay," continued Shien, lifting Hiei's rigid body into his arms and walking towards the door. Medical bay? Where the hell _were_ they?! Hiei didn't trust his voice to speak, so he remained silent as he was carried from his prison into a stark white hallway that looked more like it belonged in a human office building than any sort of Makian structure.

As he was carried, Hiei's eyes darted around him, trying to take in everything that he could so as to better plan a future escape. There wasn't much to help him… He saw no windows and no obvious ventilation ducts. There were no other doors in that particular hallway, and he was fairly certain that they were either underground or at ground level, so going through the floor wasn't an option. At least… not without significant, noticeable work. As Shien turned a corner and passed through a pair of double doors, Hiei felt his options opening up.

The room he was passing through now looked as though it was some sort of atrium or something similar. Doors lined its circular wall; each paneled in the same dark wood of the one he had just passed through. Demons were moving busily across the room, headed in some door or emerging from another. Hiei wished he could turn his head and take all of the commotion in. Something struck him as odd about the demons, but his frazzled mind couldn't place what it was.

Despite the overwhelming _sameness_ of the massive room, Shien seemed to know exactly where he was going. He was almost at one of the many doors when one of the demons passing him paused and turned back.

"Shien, where do you think you're going?" Hiei felt the arms that were holding him clench, and Shien muttered something under his breath that Hiei couldn't quite catch. It had sounded something like a curse…

"Atame, I hadn't realized that you were back yet." He turned to face the man who had spoken, Atame, Hiei guessed, and Hiei was able to get a good look at the other man. He was large and bulky, his complexion ashen. In fact, everything about him suggested shadow. His dappled gray hair seemed to almost blend with his pallid skin, and his iron-gray eyes held a million secrets. His clothes, also, spoke of shadows and secrecy. Smoky gray pants and a matching top had obviously been designed for stealth and usability. They were tight enough to avoid getting in the way, but not so much that they restricted movement. The clothes of a fighter. No; the clothes of an assassin.

Something clicked in Hiei's mind as his brain made the connection it had been struggling to make. _Everyone_ in the room was wearing those same clothes. Somehow, he had ended up in the midst of a company of assassins… Did that mean Shien was an assassin as well? More importantly; did that mean there was a bounty out on Kurama's life? He had to be warned. But how?

"I got back today. How many times do I have to warn you; the medical bay is not to be used for healing your little sex toys." Well… that was certainly interesting. Shien did not have the rank necessary to stand up to this Atame, whoever he might be.

"This one isn't actually mine, sir… He belongs to a friend; I'm merely holding him for a time. I didn't want to return him damaged…" Shien's voice had taken on an odd pleading tone that Hiei had never heard in it before now.

"Then perhaps you should have been a bit gentler with him," said Atame, his voice stern. He bent to peer at Hiei's face, then jerked back with a startled intake of breath. "The Forbidden Child?! Shien, who gave him to you?!" Hiei opened his mouth to say something, but Shien cut him off with an order.

"Hiei, close your mouth! I got him from Takata, Atame. May I take him to be healed?" Atame's eyes narrowed.

"Takata does not keep slaves. Who is he working for?"

"I hardly see how that's your business, seeing as you banished him from our organization." Hiei glanced up at Shien and saw that his jaw was rigid. "May I take him to be healed?" Atame searched first Shien's, then Hiei's face for a long moment, then, finally, nodded.

"Very well, but this is the last time. Drop him off, then report to me."

"But-"

"Drop him off, then report to me, Shien! Is that clear?" Atame's face made it clear that he expected his orders to be obeyed. Shien nodded, his jaw still rigid, and turned for the door again. Hiei made a disgruntled sound in his throat, glaring at Shien as he did. Shien glanced down, clearly distracted.

"What? Oh, fine, you can open your mouth again."

"You mother-fucking son of a bitch! Tell me now; where the hell am I, who the hell are you, and what the fuck does this all have to do with Kurama?!" That caught Shien's attention.

"Kurama? As in Youko Kurama? What the hell are you talking about? This has nothing to do with him!"

"WHAT?!" Hiei was about to say more, but Shien handed him off to one of the men in the medical bay, spun, and headed back for the door they'd come through. "SHIEN! GET BACK HERE AND ANSWER MY QUESTIONS!" But the golden-haired demon was gone, and Hiei was being moved to a table and surrounded by demons in surgical masks. Frustrated, Hiei let off a surge of power, all-but annihilating the demons around him.

At once, silence fell about the medical bay. Hiei blinked; how had that happened? He'd been ordered not to attack anyone; his access to his powers had been cut off! No, his mind corrected, he had been ordered not to attack Shien. Otherwise, his powers were unbound… Another group of surgeons was approaching Hiei's table, their eyes narrowed. One of them gripped a scalpel in his fist, raising it high as he approached the curse-bound demon. Hiei flared his energy threateningly, preparing to defend himself as well as he could, but Shien appeared suddenly in the doorway.

"Don't kill him! This is my mistake, I won't let it happen again! Hiei, do not attack anyone unless I specifically tell you otherwise, that's an order." Immediately, the netting tightened, cutting off Hiei's access to his powers once again. He cursed, screaming profanities at anyone and everyone around him. The surgeons slowed, their tense eyes relaxing slightly. One of them moved closer to the table Hiei was laying on, peering down at him curiously. He threw himself backwards quite suddenly with an audible gasp as soon as he got a good look at Hiei's face.

"Shien, you damned fool! The Forbidden Child?! With all that's going on right now?!" All that was going on?! What exactly was going on?! Hiei opened his mouth to speak again, but found that his voice had given out completely. Nothing happened when he tried to from the words; he was effectively muted until his vocal chords repaired themselves.

"I am aware of the situation. Atame has given permission for him to be healed, and I expect you to do your job. He cannot hurt you, I have cut off his access to his powers."

"Give me one reason I shouldn't just kill him and be done with it!"

"Because _I_ said so," growled Shien. He had moved so that Hiei couldn't see him, but he felt his energy surge suddenly.

"Yes, since we're _so_ frightened of you," sneered one of the surgeons, rolling her eyes. "You're no longer important, Shien. You've been put on reserve. You're done."

"Do you know _why_ I was put on reserve, Tashi?" Shien's voice had grown soft; soft and dangerous. He didn't wait for an answer. "Because I went a little overboard on my last assignment. Not only did I kill the target, but I destroyed her entire household. I made such a mess of things that Koenma sent his pet Spirit Detectives in to investigate. Atame was worried that I might… snap." The room had grown quiet again; as quiet as it had been after Hiei's show of power.

"So," continued Shien, his voice back to its normal tone, "I expect you to heal him, as Atame ordered." The surgeons stood for a moment, exchanging uneasy glances, then slowly turned and set about their work again. Shien's power dropped back down to its normal level, and Hiei heard him leave. Two of the surgeons approached his table and began working on healing him. He tried to ask questions a few times, but his voice was completely gone, and his attempts were unsuccessful. Frustrated, he had no choice but to lie still as the surgeons set about un-doing the damage Shien had done.

-

"Any information you have about him would be appreciated." Kurama's voice was smooth and his face calm, but there was the ring of a threat in his tone. He pulled the demon he was holding up to eye level and let him sweat for a moment, locked in the youko's golden glare. "I need to find my partner. Your help will not be forgotten."

"I-I haven't seen him! All I know is that someone else is looking for him too! Sh-she's offering a reward…"

"What is her name?"

"I d-don't know…" Kurama sighed.

"Very well; what does she look like?"

"I-I don't kn-know…" Kurama's eyes narrowed; this was getting annoying.

"What _do_ you know?"

"Sh-she's offering a big reward…" Kurama raised one brow.

"Certainly nothing could be more pleasing to you than helping _me_, isn't that right?" The demon nodded frantically, obviously scared out of his wits.

"R-right! Of course!"

"Hmm, that's what I thought." Kurama sighed, releasing the terrified demon and turning for the door. "I will be back soon. If you have any information for me, you'll be rewarded handsomely." And, with that, he left the dirty little pub and stepped back out into the street.

He drew a few stares, of course. His tall, lean fox form was a well-known icon, despite the fact that few who had witnessed his exploits during his prime were still living. Those who shied away from him or ran screaming to lock their doors had never seen him before in their lives. They were acting on the fear that they had been trained to feel towards him; towards the boogey man of demons.

And Kurama intended to use that status to find Hiei. The little demon had been gone for quite some time; Kurama was worried about him. And he hadn't seen any evidence of anything burned by hellfire recently… He was beginning to grow worried that something had happened to Hiei. Emotional as he was right now, it was possible that he had been caught unawares and captured. Kurama's stomach clenched at that thought.

And what of this other woman who was also searching for Hiei? She would have to be found and questioned thoroughly; Kurama wasn't taking any chances. _Hiei, I'm coming… Where are you?_

_-_

Slipping quietly back into the shadows, Kira allowed herself a smirk as she watched Kurama stride quickly down the middle of the street. Her plan was falling into place so nicely! She would let Kurama get a little more worked up over his missing partner, and let the other demons lead him further in the wrong direction for her before she executed the final stage; the destruction of Hiei. She wasn't sure where Takata had stashed him, but it would be a simple enough thing to find him, kill him, then frame another demon for the murder.

Then came the part she was looking forward to the most. With Hiei dead, whose shoulder would Kurama cry on but her own? She would be there to comfort him during his time of need, proving to him once and for all that she was always there for him, and he would fall back into her arms again. And then there would be no one to tear them apart ever again; no one to take her from her precious fox… and his precious riches. Gleeful, Kira slipped off in the direction of Takata's house.

* * *

Well? Oh, come on, you know you loved it! Or maybe you didn't... I dunno. Anyway, reviews = love (more math! yay!)!! They keep me sane after a long day spent getting yelled at by crotchety old ladies who can't hear you when you say "have a good day" and end up yelling at you because they think you're swearing at them (seriously, that happens sometimes...). I make no promises nor guarantees about the next chapter, but the weather is looking pretty bad for tomorrow... ;) Much love!

Princess Seki


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